In many food service establishments, and particularly convenience stores, fast food restaurants, and cafeterias, individual servings of food products are made available on a self-service basis.
Particularly in dairy products such as creamers for hot beverages, it is desirable to store the individual-serving packages of the product at a reduced temperature which retards spoilage and preserves the quality of the food product in the container. For toppings, it is desirable to store and dispense the packages at an elevated temperature to faciliate spreading or flow of the topping on the food item.
In establishments where the packages are made available in open trays or the like, there is a recognized tendency for the patrons to grab a handful of the packages without regard to their anticipated need. If the packages are in a restricted container, there is less tendency for the patrons to grab an excess supply of the packages.
During rush periods, the use of dispensers which do not have temperature controls may be satisfactory because of the need for constant replenishment of the supply of packages in the dispenser, but there is still a chance for an individual package to be left in the dispenser for prolonged periods, and such package might tend to spoil or deteriorate in quality. The use of mechanical refrigeration is not efficient for such dispensers and the use of water ice or dry ice to maintain a chilled atmosphere is not satisfactory because of the need for constant attention to assure replenishment of the supply of ice. Likewise, steam-heated or electrically heated storage dispensers are not efficient for packages which contain individual servings.